How to Add Thought Leadership to Your PR Strategy
(The following post is the second in a two-part series. Read Part I to learn why you should incorporate thought leadership into your PR strategy.)
In today’s fast-moving media landscape, PR professionals understand that earning consistent coverage takes more than pitching good ideas and crossing your fingers. It takes proactive positioning, strategic thinking and relationships with editors and reporters built on credibility.
Integrating thought leadership into your PR strategy is one of the most effective tools for building trust with media outlets. It can also create awareness and preference for your clients, which can help them retain existing customers and obtain new ones.
Here are three essential steps for adding thought leadership to your PR strategy:
1. Identify the right voices
- Identify individuals within an organization who have deep subject matter expertise and a unique and valuable perspective on industry trends.
- Look for leaders who can speak to timely issues and share insights that elevate the conversation beyond what’s already being said.
- Consider C-suite executives, product leaders, analysts or researchers who can commit time to the process and are comfortable with public commentary.
2. Add value, not promotion
- Thought leadership should educate and inform—not sell. Position authors as trustworthy expert resources, not incognito marketers.
- Use data such as survey results or other statistics to support your claims with integrity and prioritize clarity, brevity and originality.
3. Pitch strategically & repurpose wisely
- Treat a thought leadership piece like a news story. Once it’s developed, identify specific editors who are interested in that topic. Tailor your pitch to them and clearly explain why their audience will care.
- Consider contributed content programs at trade publications, business journals and other media that are open to well-crafted submissions from trusted experts.
- Maximize the piece’s value by repurposing it across platforms—adapting it into social posts, newsletters and email campaigns, or using quotes for media pitches.
Adding thought leadership to your existing PR strategy can be worth the extra time and energy. It can help you and your clients build long-term credibility, deepen relationships with media, and stay top of mind with audiences that matter most.
